:D Lagarto´s sketchbook. Laura is going to work HARD!

[Lagarto]

Hello everybody!
My name is Laura, and I´m a 19 years old spanish girl. My ambition is to be a professional artist in the future, as an illustrator or a concept artist.

feedback, critics, and hints are highly appreciated and necessary for me, since I have no artist buddy to tell me what aspects of my drawings I could improve, or what I should work more on.

[Lagarto]

some work from yesterday. I couldn´t upload it yesterday because my thread wasn´t still aproved.

those are all referenced: some anatomy practise, girls from a fashion magazine , a self-portrait (the first ever) I think there is some resemblance, but I chose the bad sice of my face; some necks and shoulders, since never get them right, and some horrible hands.

[Lagarto]

last post of today, I promise!

I´ve been doing 3 color studies this last hour. here they are. all from reference, obviously. Not so happy with them, but I never did any environment study, so... I think it´s normal to not do it right the first time.

[Kauil]

You're people drawings are very good! I can see your fascination with the human form. Keep in mind when doing things with photoshop not to fall victim of using the various filters to achieve an effect too much, it makes a painting look cheesy and you don't learn half as much about rendering form that way. Stay inspired!

[Roope Maatta]

your life drawings are so dinamic and full of... well... life. how many time did you spent on each one?

Thank you Lagarto for your comment. My life Drawings usually take about 0.5min-5min-10minutes.

You have really nice neck and head studies. Keep up the good work :3

[Aragah]

and of to a start of a beautyful journey!
hehe keep studing, keep posting, keep improving

[Lagarto]

I did some digital poops.

the first is a study from a photo in black and white, and the second is my try to color it sensessly. Last one is a portrait from imagination, of which I got bored quite quicky, and it looks so artificial, I don´t know why.

[Chermilla]

A good start to your sketchbook! Keep up with the anatomy studies, they will definitley help you to improve. I think I like the first batch of pencil drawings the most so far.

[Lagarto]

A study from a magazine I did today. I´m quite happy with this one.
now back to study for my finals... I finish tomorrow, so this weekend I´ll try to do loads of anatomy studies.

[Lagarto]

I finished my finals today (yay! even If I´m going to fail them all. damn physics) so from now on I will update a lot. today I only have those sketches. Today, after finishing my exam, ran home and did a poster for a contest in my school. I had about 3 hours to do a full poster, so it looks like crap, but it was to enter the contest that way or not entering it. The price is 250 euros, I had al least to try.
so those are the sketches for the poster, I have no image for the definitive thing because I was in a big hurry. I entered the contest 5 minutes before it was closed.

they are more stylized than what I´m aiming lately, but it´s for a school, so it was necessary.
the second girl is referenced from a photo of Esperanza Spalding. I included a sketch of the poster I did in photoshop. (the original is colored with pencils.)

[Lagarto]

lots of anatomy studies today! first one is a study about arms from Giovanni Civardi´s book, and the next are just a bunch of sketches, some references, some from imagination and some mixed (like drawing a dressed girl naked). There are some multi-limbs sketches, too, so fun. (I´m a big fan of Janaschi and algenpfleger ). I´m not confortable enough with my hands and feet to draw them. Must practise them, but they are kind of scary.

please, I need critics! that´s why I opened a sketchbook. I want you to be as mean as possible.

[Ninsei]

I really like your sketches of girls, your subtle line. My only suggestion - maybe you should try to vary them a little bit more? For example try to draw dark-skinned or Asian girls, or maybe play with eyes, noses and lips a bit more? I'm sure you can, it would be nice to see
And I would love to see your poster coloured. Any chance of making photo of it?
Purple-haired girl in post #7 - she doesn't look good because of too small head I think. The eyes should be always around the middle of head. I'd recommend you take a look at Loomis' 'Drawing the Head and Hands' if you didn't do it yet - this is book I'm doing my drawing exercises with right now You can download it as .pdf file, this is where you can find some links.
Anyway I really love the brown-haired one (post #7)! She has something in her eyes. You should definitely try to finish this piece of art.

[Lagarto]

Kauil thank you! I will try to avoid the textured brushes and effects, I know I will learn more without them

Aragah thanks! of course I will!

Chermilla I´m doing lots of anatomy studies. I hope it shows soon. thank you

Ninsei yes! I´m working on more variety of features. I´ll try to take a photo of the poster, but I won´t be able to till March. And thank you so much, I already had Loomis´s book downloaded and I´m working with it. It will be useful for sure ^^


I don´t want to update without any work to show, but I have nothing scanned, so I´ll update with two digital sketches, both from imagination. I´m trying to practise rendering. I think I´m improving in doing hair. I´m quite happy with the first one.
critics are always welcomed!

[Lagarto]

some sketches from today. the first is from imagination, the second is from Loomis´ book and then some anatomy studies

[Tamaira2011]

Nice work so far. Really digging your line drawings But your digital faces lakes of volumes. They are looking flat. And also only in your digitals - don't know why you do it right in your pencils^^ - I think you draw the eyes to hight. The eye line is in the middle of the head. If you draw it to hight, it looks like there is to little forehead. Hope that helps! I'm not a pro so... Keep it up! You are doing great.

[Lyraina]

The pencil girls you draw are so beautiful!
For the digital ones: Don't forget to add different colors to the skin, like blue/greens, and red for the parts with more blood (nose..), it will give them much more life.

Oh, and congratulations to finishing your finals

[Topcross]

Amazing sketches. I can see your influence from manga, you seem to always draw the eyes very pronounced.

You digital stuff needs more work though, as others said it mainly lacks volume. Instead of a portrait, try drawing a few basic shapes like cubes and cylinders to practise shading.

Very nice start though, keep at it. Looking forward to see more.

[Lagarto]

Tamaira2011 thank you! I know, they all look so flat. I´ll try to change it. about the eyes, I seem to not be able to do proportions right with the tablet.

Lyraina thank you so much! It looks strange to me to add more colours, even if I know that in the end they look right. I´ll try to experiment with it.


Topcross thanks! you are right, I should try more basic things before portraits.


some work from today, some anatomy studies, a digital portrait and a study from a photo in progress.
My digital stuff is still looking flat, I hope a little bit less, but I´ll do more studies to fix that. Also, all my portraits look exactly the same. It´s probably due to the fact that I don´t have anything clear in my mind before I start drawing.
also, some dinnosaur heads, it´s been a long time since I drew any type of creature. and two girls from imagination.

[Lagarto]

another digital sketch. this time I tried to incorporate more colors, and make it less flat. maybe I´ll try to take it further

[Lagarto]

Hi! today I post some work from the weekend. I have more sketches, but I haven´t been able to scan them yet.

first 3 are from observation. The girl in the portrait is my little sister. It´s unfinished because she doesn´t handle well being still. next 3 are from imagination.

[thebigchild293]

Hey Lagarto (Or Laura i guess). I love your Figure studies. Your pencil drawing is great too. gluck gluck

[Lagarto]

thebigchild293 thank you! I really enjoy drawing with pencils

I´ll just left here a photo study, before I go to bed

[Morham]

You have a really light but confident style in your pencil drawings. Nice clear lines and forms. In your digital painting I think you fall victim to very heavy changes in value, so you jump from light to dark very quickly. I don't call myself an expert by any means since I am learning too, but you might try your portraits in black and white (grey scale) and work up to colour from there. Once you can get the values of grey right it's very hard to mess up the colour on top since colour has little effect on value.

Definitely not an expert and sort of parroting what I've heard so I'll let other people confirm all this

Keep up the work though!

[Lagarto]

some anatomy sketches. I have a lot because yesterday I had a lot of time to draw, so I´ll post later today more of them.
third one is me copying other people, failing horribly.

[stunadu666]

I like your anatomy studies esp. the faces, but your SB lacks full figures, you should do more of that.

[Lagarto]

stunadu666 I know... I have to force me to do it. I have some in progress though, so soon I will post them

some sketches from yesterday, all referenced. I find drawing feet quite amusing. does that happen to you?

[tatianaq]

I love the pencil drawings. So clean. The paintings need work, but, I actually have this exact same problem. James Gurney's Color and Light has helped me a ton, you should check it out. And thank you for commenting on my sketchbook. :]

[Lagarto]

tatianaq thanks! I´ve heard about that book, but I think it´s a little bit expensive.


I´ve been super busy lately, so I haven´t got much to show. two drawings from imagination, the coloring in progress of one of them and a quick study of a photo

[Lagarto]

I tried to fix this one http://www.conceptart.org/forums/att...1&d=1329465438 and I think it now looks better. I don´t know wether to continue working on it or not.

[Lagarto]

lately I´ve been drawing more from imagination and I think the anatomy studies are paying off

a sketch from imagination, and a digital sketch. If there´s any Asoiaf fan out there, they might recognize her. I´ll try to finish it, because it´s looking good.